AllMovie

Native American actor Graham Greene (Northern Exposure) hosts The War That Made America, an epicPBS docudrama bringing to life the events and chronology of the late 18th century French and Indian War. Relying on dramatized historical reenactments featuring newcomers Larry Nehring as George Washington, Alex Coleman as General Edward Braddock, and Chris Davenport as The Marquis de Montcalm, as well as voice-over narration with actors reciting quotations from historical characters, The War That Made America opens in 1754. It commences with a nasty run-in between soldiers that led to the murder of a French envoy -- a watershed moment opening the floodgates to an extended, violent conflict, whereby the French and British -- each with a different faction of the American colonies behind them -- vied for control of the Ohio territory. This miniseries wraps with the conclusion that although many Americans celebrated the British victory at that time, the Brits' triumph ironically yielded further conflict by lifting England to a plateau of power in the States and setting the stage for the Revolutionary War. With a total running time of four hours, The War That Made America originally aired in four one-hour segments on PBS.